Lily and the Arrogant Marauder
by cylobaby
Summary: Lily is an orphan and has to live with her Headmaster until she has to spend one summer with the Potters. She faces a challenge to keep the secret of her past from the boys she knows best. Completed before HBP.
1. Lily

Disclaimer: I do not own HP

Hey guys! This is cylobaby. Lily and The Arrogant Marauder is my third fanfic story and my second Harry Potter fic. Please read and enjoy. And review. Thanks.

The grounds were sunny and the birds were singing. The enchanted school of Hogwarts was beautiful. Lily Evans stared out of her window in the Girl's Dormitory in the Gryffindor Tower. Her shabby suitcase was half-heartedly packed and recently read books were strewn over her unmade bed. This was unusual in itself, for Lily was normally a perfectionist. Today was the last day of Lily's sixth year at Hogwarts. The fiery redhead could not have dreaded summer more.

During normal summers, Lily stayed with her kind old Professor Dumbledore. All of her family was dead apart from her father and sister. Her father was in Muggle prison and her sister was a newlywed. She had recently married 'Vile Vernon' and was living a perfectly _normal_ life. Petunia would never have housed her freakish younger sister. Lily snorted. It wasn't like she _wanted_ to spend her summer with her cruel sister.

Unfortunately, this was not a normal summer. Lord Voldemort was rising and the Order was working harder than ever. Lily knew all about the Dark Lord and the Order of the Phoenix due to her time pent with one Albus Dumbledore. The headmaster had decided that it was much too dangerous for a student, much more for a muggleborn student, to stay with him. He was in constant danger from Death Eater attacks. On rare occasions, Lily even got to battle with Voldemort's supporters.

She had won in both incidents. Dumbledore, being very loving and protective, had made sure Lily got to stay with a wealthy and very kind family for this summer. He had assured her that they were respected members of the Order and Aurors to top it off. Dumbledore had realized that to force her to spend a summer with her Muggle relatives would be torture.

Dumbledore, being a sort of 'adopted' grandfather to the young witch, would go with her to meet her new family. He would make sure she made it safely and that Lily got settled in well. With a sigh, Lily raised her wand. "Pack!" she said. Her scattered belongings flew through the air and landed in neat piles in her suitcase while the pre-packed clothes straightened themselves out. She closed the bulging lid and muttered, "Colloportus," for good measure.

Lily her made her bed and set her trunk neatly on top. The girl brushed her hair and put it in a low ponytail and it almost reached the curve of her back. She strode down for what would be her final breakfast in the Great Hall for three months. She greeted no one on the way down and received no acknowledgement in return. Lily hated getting close to people. Her past and her present life were not meant for prying eyes. Most people figured her to be a know-it-all muggleborn snob. Lily _was_ the best in her classes and she _was_ a muggleborn. But a snob? That was not a word you could use to describe the temperamental redhead.

No one had even noted her existence (apart from her professors) until a certain Marauder fell in love with her. And _he_ had only noticed her because she had openly yelled and insulted him and his gang. From then on, Potter had been asking her out with such regularity she could set her wizarding watch by it. She smirked, remembering the last time. The next time the Quidditch Captain had looked in the mirror, he found the face of a makeup obsessed princess. 'Some boys never learn,' she thought scathingly.

Only a few people were in the Great Hall so far, so Lily sat down in a deserted bench and filled her plate with strawberries, toast and eggs. She picked up the book she was currently reading. It was entitled My Life: The Tale of a Goblin. It was entirely in the language of the goblins, but that happened to be one of the thirty languages Lily was fluent in. One of her most impressive languages was Mermish, but she had a slight accent of Siren. The two languages were so very much alike.

Being around Dumbledore so often had taught Lily many things, school-related and other. She had learned dueling tips, her languages and even the noble art of karate. She had especially learned to multi-task. She was currently reading, translating what she read, was eating and daydreaming. She was yet again picturing her future. It included no husband or boyfriends or men in general. Just herself, her own house and own life. She would have a respectable job as an Auror and never intrude on the privacy of some one else's home again. Though Lily never showed them, emotions ran through her head unrestrained at all times.

Her pondering was cut off by a voice saying, "Hello Evans," the voice was slightly nervous, but had an obvious attempt to sound smooth.

"What now Potter?" Lily asked, greatly annoyed. She heard the sound of shuffling feet. She sensed that his Marauders were all around her. "I've been thinking about what you said-."

"I have said many things, Potter," she said in a tired tone. Her anger was starting to build. Did they _have_ to do this every week? It was getting so _old_.

"And I promise," the teen said, as though nothing had interrupted his little speech, "that if you go out with me I will try to be less arrogant."

Lily glanced up in time to see Lupin hand-signaling his friend what to say. "Why thank you, _Remus_," Lily smiled without any humor, "But the last time I checked, _you_ weren't the arrogant Marauder."

Lupin gazed calmly at Lily with his dark blue eyes, "Why don't you give him a chance, Lily?" The muggleborn raised her eyebrow.

"Prongsie would realize he doesn't love you and move on," encouraged Padfoot. He gave out his bark like laugh, "It would give us all a break."

Lily glared, "I believe no one controls me," Seeing their skeptical expressions, her voice rose, "Especially not some conceited, arrogant, stupid, naïve, idiotic Quidditch playing pranksters like the Marauders!"

Potter sighed, "Just one little date?" Lily grinned unexpectedly and said sweetly, "You know what? Fine, I admit it. I would _love_ to go out with you."

"Really?" Potter said, a look of joy spreading over his face.

"No." Lily said shortly and then addressed Remus, "Let your daft friend know that was the end of the conversation,"

Lupin and a guffawing Black grabbed their shocked looking friend and drug him away, with Pettigrew scurrying along behind. Lily rolled her eyes. She knew she would _never_ go out with Potter. However, that _was_ the first time Lupin had ever interfered on Potter's behalf. Lily sighed and picked up her piece of toast. 'Some boys never learn,' she thought again.

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"That was so pitiful," Sirius said. He mocked in a deep, hopeful and stupid voice, "Really?" He snorted, "Absolutely pathetic."

"Why doesn't she yell at you?" James asked sadly to Remus. They were seated at Gryffindor table for the End of Term Feast. Peter was in the Hospital Wing after he had a run-in with a door.

"For starters, I respect her. She knows she can trust me. I call her Lily (which happens to be her name) and I would never ask her out in one breath and jinx her in the next," the werewolf explained.

A look of dawning comprehension came over Prong's face. "So… can you teach me?" James asked hopefully.

Remus looked taken aback, "About what?" he asked bewildered.

"You know… in being polite and caring and calm and other such stupid stuff." Remus laughed outright at that. "What?" asked James stubbornly.

"Hello Prongs. It's the last day of term. For you, it would take at least a week to learn politeness and how not to be arrogant."

James shrugged, "So you can come to the mansion. We have a secluded tree house in the back that me and Sirius built in case you ever came over. It would be perfect for full moons."

Remus smiled happily, "Sounds awesome! Sirius stays there too, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world!" Padfoot said happily, "Mum and Dad Potter are awesome."

At that time, Dumbledore came to announce the House Cup. In those days, the hourglasses were kept from view in the last week of school, and Slytherin and Gryffindor had been tied for first last they saw. "It is now time to announce the winner of the House Cup. In fourth is Hufflepuff with 450 points." There was polite clapping all around as the school waited in bated breath.

"In third is Ravenclaw with 472 points. In second… is Slytherin with-." The rest of his words were cut off by an uproar at the Gryffindor table. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were also clapping loudly. Better Gryffindor than Slytherin. "In your face, Snivellus," yelled Sirius over the crowd. The greasy Snape glared coldly at the applauding people and looked completely disgusted.

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Lily clapped along with the others. Her throat constricted as she yet again registered that this would be her final feast as a sixth year. For the next three months she would be intruding into a stranger's life. She rose with the rest of the table as they got up to leave. Lily glanced instinctively at the staff table and saw Dumbledore give her the sign for her to meet him in his office. Lily nodded and winked to her Headmaster and began walking with the others. She left the rush once they reached the marble staircase. She watched the flood of procrastinators speed by to pack their forgotten suitcases.

She raced swiftly and silently to the Head's office. She skidded to a halt in front of the stone gargoyle and gasped, "Drooble's Best," She walked up the stairs with a hopeful air. Maybe her summer wasn't destined for ruin. Maybe the professor had changed his mind. Lily was, however, fully aware that Dumbledore wasn't in his office yet, but she had no reason to dawdle. She reached the imposing oak doors and knocked.

"Who is it?" asked a whispery old voice from inside. Lily recognized it as the voice of the portrait of old Headmaster Wesem. The steel haired kind wizard guarded the office door.

"It's me, Lily!" she called cheerfully. She heard a kindly chuckle from within, "Shoulda known, dearie. C'mon in."

The doors magically unlocked and Lily walked into the spacious office. The girl strode immediately over to a large golden perch. On it was a swan-sized bird.

"Hello Fawkes," Lily said, stroking its gold and scarlet plumed head. Even being near the mythical bird swelled Lily's sense of hope. She settled down in the chair across from the Headmaster's desk. Fawkes swooped over and landed on the arm of her chair. Lily sat back and waited for her 'grandfather' to appear.

The redhead didn't have to wait long. Dumbledore strode into his office about five minutes later. Her headmaster sat at his desk and crossed his hands over the arms of his chair. "Hello Lily," Dumbledore said pleasantly. "You are probably wondering why I called you here."

Lily nodded, not daring herself to speak. Her emerald eyes never left Dumbledore's. "I would like to tell you sorry for all of this," he said with a saddened air. Lily's bubble of hope burst inside her.

"I hate doing this to you. You have been through so much. I felt it was my job to find the best people possible to take care of you. I can reassure you that these kind people volunteered. I thought they were the best suited of all of the willing Order members," Dumbledore continued to gaze at her. "Do you have any questions?"

Questions? Lily had hundreds. She knew Dumbledore's answer to all of them except one. "Do these people have any children?" she asked.

Dumbledore suddenly got a closed expression on his face, "How about we leave that as a surprise for tomorrow." Lily nodded, confused. Deciding to change the subject she said, "Are we going to Floo there?"

Dumbledore smiled, "No. We shall Apparate." Lily gasped excitedly. "Really! I can't wait! Thank you so much."

Lily had gotten her Apparating license only last week and was looking forward to trying out. "Am I not going on the Express, then?"

Dumbledore nodded, "It would be best if we left later tomorrow. We will get there after the train has already arrived." Lily smiled. "That is," Dumbledore continued, "If you don't mind."

Lily's smile widened, "It would be perfect," she said.

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The Marauders were packing their ill-used bags (with the exception of Moony) and chatting. "Sorry you can't come, Peter," James was saying in a slightly nonchalant tone.

"My parents won't even let me go to my grandma's house without supervision." Wormtail said in a squeaky tone, trying to joke around. Nobody laughed. He was short with a small pair of watery dark eyes and a pasty complexion. Peter had mouse colored hair and a very non-handsome face. He always was the least noticed of the otherwise gorgeous Marauders.

He was only popular by association. He had joined the Marauders when James, Remus and Sirius had beaten off a group of bullying Slytherins from jinxing the cowardly boy. (AN: Wish they had left him to die, that little… **mother coughs from doorway**. I mean, I couldn't let him be in the story or else I would let a wild hyena eat him.)

"I suppose we'll see you next year then," Remus said, yawning. He had short, golden hair and kind blue eyes. He was about 5'7 and muscular from his jaunts as a werewolf.

"We still need you in the Marauders, you little rat," Sirius said in a would-be affectionate voice. Padfoot was a 6'3, a literal giant. He had elegant black hair and a charming smile that any girl would fall for. Any girl but Evans. He was the ladies' man of the group with a different girlfriend every week or so. His rebel gray eyes attracted even the most shy and quiet of the girls. Except one… that certain redheaded one.

"I dunno what my mum would say if I told her that _all_ the Marauders were coming. Having two is a right old handful as it is. She also owled me last week for me to tell you that we are having a sort of foster child for over the summer. Apparently this girl stays with Dumbledore usually," James informed the other Marauders, running his hair through his messy black hair.

His hazel eyes normally sparkled with mischief. He was 6'0 almost exactly and, as he often thought, only four inches taller than the love of his life, Miss Lillian Evans.

"I didn't know Dumbledore had custody over any students," Remus said, confused.

"Well, Mum says she only stays with him over the summers and he is her unofficial guardian. She said she didn't know what school the girl attends or if she is even in school any longer," Prongs said with an I-don't-care-as-long-as-she-doesn't-bother-me-attitude.

"Sirius, get that look out of your eye. No flirting with other guests," James said in a half stern, half worried tone, "Mum would murder you,"

"Right you are Prongsie old chap; I shall not lay an eye on the innocent maiden, in fear for my own very valuable life." Padfoot said in noble tones. The Marauders' laughter filled the sixth year dormitory.

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Lily watched the flood of talkative students board the Hogwarts Express. She was safely tucked away in her private dorms near the Head's office. She had watched the suitcases loaded on board and the seventh years bid farewell to their favorite teachers and students. The main farewells would take place as they got off at Platform 9 ¾. Her memories drifted back to the first time she had gone to the Platform.

She was only 11 years old and her sixteen year old sister had dropped her off in a car, laughing her head off. "See you in June!" Petunia had shouted and left her standing sadly alone in the King's Cross Station. She had seen a couple of people walk through the barrier and tried for herself. It worked and she had boarded the train as it blew the final whistle.

She had been forced to sit with some gossiping third-year Hufflepuffs. When she had arrived she was sorted into Gryffindor. She could clearly remember the Sorting Hat's words. "Quite a temper I see. You've been through much hardship. You could have been in Slytherin but for your heritage. Piles of brains you have here. Maybe Ravenclaw? Well, I think your courage outstrips your knowledge. So you better be GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindors had clapped happily, yet with an air of uncaring politeness.

Her hand constantly went up in class and she had earned her house almost one thousand points, but the mischief making Marauders had been docked the same number. Gryffindor had lost by 100 points to Slytherin that year. She sighed unhappily at the memory. She cared a great deal for her house, even though she wasn't the most friendly towards them.

She turned away form her window and sat down at her art and music half of the dorm. Lily played the flute and was very artistic. She picked up her silver flute (a gift from Dumbledore) and blew her first scale. She let the music control her. She played first a sad tune, but as she began to relax the notes came out in sixteenths (Authors Note: for those of you who don't play, that is quite fast.)

She played for almost two hours, pouring her fear and worries into the beautiful instrument. She resolved to take it with her to her temporary home. She began on her homework and was halfway through when a house-elf peeked its head in. "Master Dumbledore would like your attendance. It is time for Miss Lily to be leaving."

Lily nodded gratefully to the house-elf and levitated her suitcase. She put her flute, pencils, sketch pallet and homework in another bag and threw it over her shoulder. She walked to the stone gargoyle, but before she entered saw Dumbledore emerging. "Ah, Lily. Come this way. Remember we can't Apparate on school grounds."

Lily nodded, for this information was not new to her, and together headmaster and student strode down to the front doors. They emerged silently from the dark and quiet castle into a bright summer afternoon. "All of the students are safely home, I wager," Lily said, breaking the silence.

"Yes, the school train arrived in London about two hours ago. This way, please." Dumbledore said, nodding to the imposing iron gates. They walked out onto the deserted road that led to Hogsmeade, Lily with both bags by her side. "Ready?" Dumbledore asked, grabbing a suitcase.

"Ready," Lily said. Her voice quavered and she was very nervous. Time to meet the people she would be spending the next three months with.

Dumbledore noticed her shaky voice and said, "Everything will be okay, Lily dear. Now focus on Godric's Hollow and we shall apparate on the count of three. One, two, three!" With a loud crack, the two were gone.

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	2. The Potters?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Thank you, for the reviews! On with the chapter.

Lily opened her eyes and saw two people standing next to her. Dumbledore said, "Hello John and his lovely wife Maria," Dumbledore shook their hands. Lily trailed behind uncertainly. "This is Lily Evans. Lily, this is John and this is Maria."

Lily walked over, "Hello Lily!" Maria said, "I am so glad you could come stay with us. It will be great to have another girl in the house," Lily stared up at the brown haired woman, feeling more comfortable already.

"Hello Lily. Nice to meet you. I'm John Potter." Lily was in the middle of shaking his hand when he introduced himself. She spun around at Dumbledore. Her headmaster looked decidedly uncomfortable.

"Lily, I would have told you…" he started.

"Told her what?" Maria said, confused.

Lily blushed and looked down. It was very awkward, so Dumbledore explained, "Lily knows James from school. They, um, don't exactly get along…"

Maria looked surprised, "Well," she said, "Maybe this summer you will get to know each other better!" Mrs. Potter said in tones that sounded as though she really wanted things to work out.

Lily forced a smile on her face, though inside she felt like throwing up. "I'm sure James and I just got off on the wrong foot," she said, acting as though they were not very good acquaintances.

"Oh, and James has two friends over. Maybe you know them, Sirius and Remus?"

Lily felt the tension growing, "Yeah, we've met," Lily said, keeping her voice light and cheerful.

Dumbledore saw through her and said, "Mr. and Mrs. Potter, may I bid farewell to Lily alone?" The confused Potters nodded and left to stand alone by the front door.

The Headmaster put a comforting hand on Lily's shoulder, "I truly am sorry. There is no other way,"

Lily nodded, not trusting herself to speak. How was she going to explain her lack of family to the Marauders? No one knew about her home life. If anything, they thought she had it perfect. Seeing Lily's face, Dumbledore consoled, "You don't have to tell the boys anything. I'm sure you will become good friends. Goodbye, my Lily." He conjured a white lily out of thin air with his wand and winked. She smiled; tears banished and said, "Goodbye," Her headmaster and adoptive grandfather Disapparated.

Lily took a sniff of the lily and tucked it behind her ear instinctively. She saw that the Potter's were waiting with her bags at the front door. She looked up and saw the biggest house she had ever seen. The mansion was white with blue-black shutters. The Potter family crest hung over the large doorway. There was a rose garden in the back and forests on all sides. She strode confidently over to the Potter's and said, "Thank you,"

Maria patted her head and said softly, "Let me show you your room. You will see the boys at dinner. They are currently unpacking," Lily smiled gratefully and followed Mrs. Potter upstairs. Lily's room was on the third floor and, as Maria explained, the Marauders were on the second and the adults were on the top and fourth floor. "Dinner is at seven. You may wear everyday robes or, if you prefer, Muggle clothes."

As she showed her the door, and magically wrote Lily's Room on it, Lily watched Potter's mother. She was a tall, brown haired lady. She had Potter's hazel eyes and the Marauder's nose. "Err… what should I address you by?"

Mrs. Potter smiled warmly, "Silly me. You may call me Maria and my husband John. May I call you Lily?" she asked.

Lily grinned for the first time in a long time, "Lily would be great." Maria dismissed herself, explaining she had to supervise the house-elves making dinner. Lily walked into her room and was blown away. It was huge! It had a large king-sized bed. The room was white and gold. The white was a warm color, not a sterile hospital type. Gold paint swirled around the spacious room. A note was laying on the fluffy pillow on her huge bed. 'We chose the color white in honor of beautiful lilies. From the Potters.'

Lily had been thinking and she had come to the conclusion that Potter had no idea that _she_ would be staying at his house. He would have mentioned it. No, they must not have told him her name, assuming they hadn't met. She unpacked her things. She put her lily on the bed and put a spell on it to make it stay fresh. Lily got out her flute. She was far enough away from everyone that no one would hear. She played one of her favorite Muggle tunes called "My Favorite Things". Lily loved hearing it on the flute.

It made everything feel better. She also loved singing it, but for her first day with the Potters she felt more comfortable playing it. She stopped after that and decided to finish her homework. She went over to a white ivory desk and settled down. It struck her that she had done the exact same thing that morning, but in an absolute different environment.

When her watch said 6:45, she changed out of her school robes and changed into a pair of robes Dumbledore had gotten her. They were such a dark green they were almost black and she swept her dark auburn hair into a ponytail. Her hair was naturally in loose ringlets, but not many people knew due to its being in a messy bun normally. Lily gazed at her reflection in a spotless mirror beside her. It was thankfully not one of the talking varieties. She had clear unblemished tan skin. She worked outside a lot with Dumbledore on the castle and decorating Headquarters. The Order stayed in an apartment like building in London, close to the Ministry.

She had large emerald eyes that were surrounded by naturally curled black lashes. Her eyebrows were not plucked, but they stayed in a thin shape. Lily frowned at herself in the mirror. At least she could prove she didn't try to enhance her looks for the guys. She wore comfortably loose clothes and had never touched makeup in her life. She fixed up her robes, her stomach lurching due to her nervousness. Today was the day Potter would discover that Lily had no family and that his flower, as he called her, would be spending the rest of the summer with him.

She groaned and made her way downstairs. She knew the Marauders wouldn't be down yet for dinner was in ten minutes. She went to the kitchen to see Mrs. Potter standing there, watching the food being laid out on large platters. Lily knocked on the door and Maria turned. "Hello Lily! I was just going to call you and the boys down. You look lovely in those robes dear,"

Lily looked down, blushing. She was unused to compliments on such a regular basis. "You look very lovely yourself, Maria," And that she did. She was wearing her long hair in a half ponytail and had a pearl necklace that went well with her dark aqua robes.

"Thank you dear. I know this will be very uncomfortable for you. I expect you didn't tell the boys of your situation?" Maria asked kindly. Lily nodded, grateful of Mrs. Potter's generosity. "I am going to introduce you properly, alright?"

Lily nodded again. At least she wouldn't be facing the Marauders alone. "May I help you with anything?" Lily asked politely, wanting to help this kind lady in any way she could.

"Only by telling me what kind of drink and dessert you like!" Maria said cheerfully.

"Water please, and I don't need dessert," Lily said, flustered by the extreme motherliness.

"Well, if you change your mind just let me know. We are having wonderful chocolate cake for dessert and I do _not_ want the men to get it all," Maria said, knowing that no one could resist her special chocolate cake. "We can wait until all of the boys are seated before you come up. I don't want this to be anymore awkward than it already may be."

After five more minutes talking, they heard the noise of what was unmistakably the Marauders coming down for dinner. "Let's go," Maria said, taking hold of Lily's hand. Maria went through the dining room door first. Lily heard the sound of their greetings. Sirius and James said, "Hello, mum!" while the shy Remus muttered a quick, "Hello Mrs. Potter,"

"John is working, and will be down in a minute," Maria informed them after instructing Remus to call her Maria. "Now, I would like you all to meet our guest for the summer. Boys, this is Lily Evans."

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Please review! I need five more reviews to update! Thank ya very much! In the next chapter awkwardness will ensue when Lily has to eat dinner with her least favorite people.


	3. Quidditch

Disclaimer: I do not own HP

Thank you for the reviews! I love ya'll! Please review more more more!

James stared in astonishment as Evans walked in. Her head was down and James could see her blushing furiously. Remus and Sirius both looked surprised when they saw her.

"Lily?" Remus asked, containing his shock. The girl looked up and made eye contact with Moony.

"Hello," she said, gulping. Her face was turning redder by the second. James and Remus glanced swiftly at each other, confirming that the muggleborn bookworm was actually in James's house and he had had no clue about it.

Sirius was the only one who seemed unfazed. "Sit down, Miss Evans! Come try Mum Potter's wonderful cooking! It's as good as Hogwarts," He nodded to the seat next to him. There were only six seats at the table and Lily didn't want to sit in between Mrs. Potter and her husband. She took the seat and sat on the edge of it as though wondering whether she should run. Evans was now sitting in between Remus and Sirius. Moony and James were at the heads of the table and James's parents would sit across from Sirius and Lily. Maria had already taken her seat across from Padfoot.

"How long will you be staying with us, Lily?" asked Remus, making light conversation.

The girl blushed again. "Until school starts up again," she mumbled. James tried to hide his grin. Now he had the whole summer to be with his little flower. Prongs had also realized Lily couldn't yell at him in front of his mother, but he couldn't flirt either.

"So, Lily," James said. The redhead looked at him, shocked he had called her by her name. "I had never known you stayed with Dumbledore."

Evans looked at her plate, "Well, Pot- James. I never exactly paraded the fact," she said. Only the Marauders, who knew her very well, could hear the hint of embarrassment in her voice and her frustration at not being able to hex James into next year for prying. Sirius nudged James and they silently figured they could interrogate her once Maria and John.

As John walked in, the plates filled with salad, which was the introductory course. Lily ate her salad with bleu cheese dressing, after she had pushed the tomatoes, cucumbers and onions off to the side. James made a mental note of everything his Lily ate, so he could inform the house-elves how to prepare her food. He realized that his mother was doing the same. Remus and Mr. Potter were discussing the latest acts of the Ministry and Sirius was asking Evans tons of questions to have her answer shortly in between bites.

They finished their five course meal (salad, fruit, soup and entrée) and ended with a large platter appearing in the middle. It had deep chocolate and vanilla marbled icing and smooth chocolate cake sitting on it. "Would you like a piece of cake, Lily?" Sirius asked Evans in a smooth tone.

"Alright, but just a small," Lily was cut off, seeing the piece Sirius had just cut off. It was almost one- sixth of the cake. He dumped it onto her plate and said, "Try it!"

Sirius then got his own piece, which was considerably larger than Evans's and began wolfing it down. Milk appeared in the goblets in front of them. James watched Lily avidly as she took her first bite. A look of pure bliss came over her normally frowning face and James laughed silently. Lily swallowed and smiled, "That was wonderful!" she exclaimed to James's mum.

"I knew you'd love it," Maria said smiling almost as widely as Lily. Seeing Sirius trying to cut himself a second huge piece, James dived in. Prongs got his knife in first and smirked at his pitiful looking pal. He got a piece as big as Padfoot's first and dug in with gusto. Remus, Maria, and John all had normal sized pieces.

Sirius took the rest of the cake and put it on his licked clean plate. James glanced over and saw Lily eating each bite with a pause and delighted look. Remus was doing the same with his smaller piece. Thankfully James knew that the werewolf didn't want more than he had. He had eaten almost all of the chicken entrée.

Once dinner was finished and the adult Potters had left, the four teens sat in silence. Just when it looked as if Lily was about to stand up, Remus cut her off by saying, "I think we deserve an explanation," The other two Marauders nodded.

Lily turned slightly pale, apprehensive and embarrassed all at once and said, "I don't owe you boys anything."

Sirius raised an eyebrow and said, "You know we won't stop until we get an answer."

Lily nodded and said, "Look, my family is bad. Most of them are dead and the only available one wouldn't put up with me if you paid her. That's it. Sirius, you out of anyone should understand," Sirius nodded. It was known all around the school of how the Black family had become too evil for Sirius to deal with. He had run off to the Potters' and become their second son.

Though James sensed there was more to the story, he decided he would find out later. "Goodnight Sirius, Remus… James," she nodded to each in turn and sped to her room.

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As Lily escaped, she let out a huge sigh. That was close. Luckily, that little meeting didn't go as bad as it could have.

Lily made it to her room without getting lost once inside the Potter mansion. She was very proud of herself. This literal castle was hard to figure out. But thankfully, Mrs. Potter had marked her door. Lily walked into her room, locked the door with a mutter of "Colloportus," and flopped onto her silk bed with another sigh.

This was _much_ better than staying with Petunia, even if it _was_ with the Potters. She looked over at her pillow and saw her new pajamas. They were a pair of soft silk pants and a soft white tank.

She grabbed her wand and swished it at the white candles that lit her room except one. She always had to have at least a little light in her room. She used to not be frightened of the dark. However, after her father had tried to murder her in the dark, she was deathly afraid.

Her smooth sheets rustled as she snuggled deep into her bed. She tried not to remember that tomorrow was the first day of a summer full of Potter.

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When Lily awoke the next morning, she checked automatically to make sure the door was still locked. Reassured, she got up and stretched. Soft dawn sunlight was shining into her room making everything glow with the promise of a new day. Lily had never gotten up later than nine and she wasn't about to start now.

Lily decided to head down to the kitchen to ask the house-elves for a drink. She combed her long auburn hair and swept it up with a large lily shaped clip. She threw on a starry black robe and brushed her teeth with a toothbrush that had been provided by Maria Potter. She slipped on a comfortable pair of worn, but fluffy boots.

She padded silently down the marble stairs so no one would wake up. As she passed the second level she heard the distinctive sound of Sirius snoring. It was known throughout Gryffindor that Sirius Black's snores could wake the castle. The Marauders had to put a Silencing Charm over his bed, or so rumor had it.

Lily hummed tunelessly as she strode into the kitchen but stopped as she saw who was sitting at the breakfast table. Potter had long black robes and his hair was messy, as usual. He was drinking a mug of what looked like coffee, with more sugar and cream than actual drink. "Hello Evans," he said without turning.

Sensing her surprised expression James laughed, "I know everyone's footsteps but yours, so I guess I rightly assumed you were the only unidentified person in my house."

Lily rolled her eyes at his bragging and turned to the house-elf that had appeared at her elbow. "What would Miss like to drink," it squeaked enthusiastically. It had a pointy nose and a huge smile, obviously thrilled to be working.

"Just some orange juice, please," Lily said, smiling warmly at the small creature. It seemed the house-elves at Godric's Hollow were as well-treated as the hundred or so at Hogwarts. Within seconds a glass of cold orange juice was in her hand. Lily walked over and sat down across from James at the small table.

They sat in silence as they drained their drinks. Once the house-elf who had taken Lily's order had removed their cups, they sat in a more awkward silence. James ran a hand through his hair and Lily rolled her eyes. It seemed he did it out of habit, but it was so annoying.

"So… what are we going to do today?" James asked her smoothly. Lily guessed he had been running it through his head the whole time.

"_We _aren't doing anything. _You_ are going to hang out with your friends, and _I_ am going to entertain myself. _Alone_," Lily said, uncaring. In truth, though she didn't want to hang out with the Marauders, she did want some company.

"Do you actually want to stay in this big house _all alone_?" My parents will be at work until seven, then we will have dinner and go to sleep," James said persuasively. Though Lily had already known these things, hearing James Potter say them made them strike home. She would be absolutely alone all summer.

It seemed Potter had seen her indecision for he then said, "You can play Quidditch with us. We have an extra Cleansweep 3. Top of the line, those are."

Lily frowned. "I don't know how to fly _or_ play Quidditch," she muttered. She had never had time to try, and during the first year flying lessons she had been in second-year Arithmacy. James gasped and looked stricken.

"You…no…flower…not…Quidditch?" he managed to shout out. The way he was overreacting you would think it was as bad as saying she didn't know how to breathe.

Lily bristled, "No, I do not. And I would like for you to…" She cut off when she saw an odd look on Potter's face. After a second of inspecting his wrinkled brow, she realized he was thinking. 'Miracles do happen,' she thought to herself.

"We can teach you!" James announced to the kitchen at large. The house-elves glanced over at his outburst then quickly skittered away. He was so loud it seemed he had woken the other boys as she heard footsteps approaching.

Sirius stumbled into the kitchen. "James," he moaned yawning then mumbled sarcastically, "Where's the fire?" Black's eyelids drooped and he had a quickly thrown on set of gray robes on. Lupin followed closely. He was dressed in smooth black robes and looked wide awake.

Potter grinned at his best friends. "I'm going to teach Evans how to ride a broom!" he said proudly. Remus and Black looked at each other then burst out laughing.

"Did she actually agree?" Lupin managed to gasp out.

James looked confused for a second. "I haven't asked yet," he said slowly. Then with a shrug and a smile, he looked at Lily, "Will you?" he asked.

Lily moaned and shrugged. "Fine, but only because I have nothing else to-." She was cut off by Potter's enthusiastic whoop and closed her eyes. 'What have I done?' she asked herself.

"Let's go now!" the hyper Sirius said. James and Sirius led the way while Remus followed beside Lily.

Seeing her shoulders slouch dejectedly as she followed, Remus muttered, "You might want to get it over with or you'll never hear the end of it. I mean, James still bugs me about a question I missed on a quiz in first year."

Lily smiled at the supportive teen next to her. "I suppose you're right," she said with a small sigh.

James led them out the back door and into a garden. Lily looked around in awe. This was gorgeous. There were roses of all sorts, from deep velvet red to odd looking purple and white zebra looking ones. There was a whole section for each individual flower and Lily saw with joy a part full of white, tiger and all other kinds of lilies. She could swear she even saw a golden one lurking in a corner.

Once they got out of the flower path, James and Sirius spun sideways and strode into the trees. Remus and Lily, the two unfamiliar ones, followed hurriedly. The boys in front led them to a clearing in the heart of the forest. Lily looked in awe at the homemade Quidditch Pitch in front of her. Three trees at each end had been bewitched to stay in the shapes of hoops.

Lily noticed amusedly that the poles still kept their barky texture and leafy colors. "We're here!" Sirius announced. He strode over to a small shack beside the field and unlocked the door. "Alohamora," he said. He ducked into the roughly built shed and pulled out four brooms. All were slick looking Cleansweep 3 versions. He passed them out, Lily taking hers half-heartedly. It looked really high up there.

Apart from the dark, heights were her biggest fear. She could barely step onto the ledge at the Astronomy Tower without throwing up. Remus and Sirius kicked off as soon as they received their brooms.

"Now," said Potter. "When we play, you and Remus can be Chasers. You use the Quaffle. I'll be Keeper and Seeker, while Sirius is Beater." He let loose the Bludger for Black.

"I change my mind," Lily said quickly, "I can't do this." Maybe she could get out of this yet.

Potter wagged a finger at her, "Na ah ah," he taunted. "You promised."

Lily didn't even have time to point out she did no such thing before anger gripped her. "I am not going to do this. There is no reason for me to, I'll just watch you guys."

Potter laughed. "Oh I see. Lily's scared. Hahaha. No wonder. And _you_ always said you were better than me," he smirked. Lily knew he was just trying to get a rise out of her, but it worked.

"At least I'm not going to end my days with my head stuck to the building I just ran into," she shouted at him.

Potter narrowed his eyes, "Well I bet you can't even stay in the air for ten minutes!"

"Alright, if that's how you want to be. If I when, you can't ask me out ever again or call me one of those stupid nicknames like flower," shouted at the infuriating Marauder in front of her.

"Okay. But if _I_ win, you have to date me this summer," Potter said. Lily nodded and shook his outstretched hand. She picked up the broom she had thrown aside in the argument and kicked off.

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James watched his flower kick off. She rose unsteadily. Once almost twenty feet up she looked down. James saw her pale drastically and saw Remus swoop down by her. "Don't look down!" Moony encouraged. James watched Lily nod and begin moving forward.

James went up in the air. As he passed the other Marauders he knew they had heard his bet to Lily by Sirius's delighted face and Remus's strictly disapproving one. Remus had on a wizard stopwatch that he had turned on when Lily had kicked off.

"Only nine more minutes!" he shouted to Lily. The Marauders watched her gain confidence until after seven minutes she was doing loop-de-loops and dives. James was furious. The one chance he had to date her and she was going to ruin it. Remus began flying around also, waiting for his timer to go off.

"Thirty more seconds! Good job, Lily!" Remus shouted, consulting the watch. Sirius looked as angry as James felt.

"No girl beats a Marauder," he said and went to ground. He picked up his Beater bat and went after the Bludger. James felt growing apprehensive. When Sirius got angry (which was often) he did drastic things. On one such occasion he had told Snivellus how to get to the werewolf form of Remus. That hadn't ended well for anyone.

Padfoot hit the ball and shouted, "Watch out Lily!" in falsely concerned tones.

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Lily was confident now. This was much more fun than she had imagined. When Sirius yelled worriedly, she swerved towards him in confusion. That was when she saw the heavy black Bludger rocketing towards her. She attempted to get out of the way but she wasn't quick enough.

_WHAM!_

Lily let out a gasp as it broke her broomstick in half. The magic drained out and Lily felt nothing but air beneath her. Her mind went blank and saw the ground rushing up to meet her. She closed her eyes, hoping to survive.

Suddenly, a pair of strong arms grabbed her waist and pulled her over their broom. "Are you okay Lily?" said the deep voice of James behind her. She held onto the broom so tightly her knuckles were white. She nodded to James's question.

Remus sighed from beside her. "You still had fifteen seconds left," Lily moaned and sat up straight. She did _not_ want to touch Potter right now.

She fought to control her shaking voice, "Can you please take me to the ground? Sl-slowly,"

"Of course, flower. That was quite a fall you had there," James said in a caring voice. He took them into a shallow dive. Lily didn't even bother to correct his name for her. He _did_ win the bet.

Potter lifted her off the now low and hovering broom then jumped down behind her. Lily's legs were unstable and she stumbled backwards. James caught her again and she got to her own feet.

"Goodbye," she said shortly and stumbled up the castle. It seemed while she was falling her bones had been replaced with jello. She heard Potter running up behind her. Lily attempted to quicken her pace, but failed.

She refused to give him the courtesy of looking at him as he fell into step beside her. "So, when are we going to set that date?" Lily could hear the triumphant smirk in his voice.

Lily was defeated. "You decide. Be sure to make it at a place no one can see us."

"Would you like a kiss to make you feel better?" he asked, failing to keep the hope from his voice.

Lily took out her wand and whirled on him. To her anger, she saw that he had taken his out as a precaution. "You must love that we can do magic this summer," she said. Lily knew that she could duel much better than him, but all of the jinxes she knew would be too advanced to him and his mother would wonder what had happened.

If she hurt him bad enough, Maria might kick her out. Unfortunately, Potter was much more experienced to prank-like curses. She stowed her wand and kept her fist clenched around it in her pocket. She began walking faster.

Potter stayed behind, "Where are you going?" Potter yelled after her.

Lily clenched her fists so hard that her long nails dug painfully in. "To my room!" she yelled back to him. She ran through the garden and rushed through the door. What was Maria going to say when she found out Lily was going on a date with her son. She moaned and leapt up the stairs two at a time to the third floor.

Please review more!


	4. Flute

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Lily closed her door behind, using all of her might not to slam it. She raced over to her bed and sat down hard. If only her knees would stop shaking.

That had been so scary… Lily took a deep breath and tried to relax. A glint of metal caught her eye and she stumbled over to get to her suitcase. She drew out the last thing she hadn't taken out; her flute.

She ran a hand over it, checking for any dent it may have gathered during the unsteady Apparation. Finding none, she pieced it together and turned the mouth piece so it was in tune. She blew her first note, the lowest note she knew.

Lily slowly played up the scales, warming up the flute. She took out a piece of parchment covered in blotchy music notes. In fourth year, Lily had tried her hands at writing songs and found she had quite a knack for it. She set the music against the white desk and tapped her foot slowly in a slow tempo.

She held out the first note for a while, and then began playing. The music floated through the air, warm and silvery. Lily could almost taste it when she hit a wrong note and corrected it automatically before the note even got out of the instrument.

The song itself was slow and enchanting. She had called it 'Hogwarts' after the school that had inspired her. (**AN: The song is the tune from the HP movies. You know the one I mean.)**

As she blew the final note, she kept it steady through it's three counts and released. Lily jumped as clapping sounded from her bedroom doorway.

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James had watched his girl walk to his mansion and wished he could have gotten that kiss. He gloomily tucked his wand away and trotted back to Moony and Padfoot.

Moony shot a disgruntled look at the duo. "Alright, fess up. Which of you hit the Bludger?"

Sirius guiltily raised his hand, not eager to see Remus get into his teacher mode. "Now Sirius, that was a wrong thing to do. You could have seriously hurt someone!"

"But she's okay," protested Sirius weakly. James noticed that sometimes Remus could pass McGonnagal in her own .

"Okay? What do you mean _o-"_Remus began before James cut him off.

"Look, I'll go to her and _see_ if she's okay," he said before running up to his house. The other two Marauders gazed after him, one in approval and one with a look of what-have-I-done in place.

James hurried up to Lily's room, wanting to apologize for trying to kiss her, and maybe try again. When he got near her room, he heard something magical. A haunting melody floated down the hall from Lily's room.

He went to the door and opened it as quietly as he could. It was surprisingly unlocked. James saw Evans sitting at a desk and playing an instrument he recognized from his Muggle Studies classes. He was only in that class so he could skip out on the harder classes that normally occurred at that time. The instrument was a 'flute'.

He listened at the doorway, entranced by the unfamiliar song. As he listened, pictures formed in his mind. First came a memory or sight of a great castle next to a shimmering lake, then of a flock of owls swooping in through numerous windows. Lastly, he saw a windswept Quidditch Field full of cheering fans, all feeling like one.

When the last note was finally cut off, James clapped loudly. He saw Evans jump in shock and whirl around to face him. Once she was who it was, her beautiful emerald eyes narrowed in dislike and annoyance.

"Bravo," said James before he stopped clapping. The girl's continued silence was unnerving, so James shuffled from foot to foot beneath the piercing green gaze.

James cleared his throat. "I came to say I'm sorry for making you fly. I didn't realize you were afraid of heights."

The girl stiffened at the word 'afraid' but then spoke calmly. "There are many things you do not know about me."

"Well, I know how to fix that. We can play a little . Are you familiar with Wizard's Truth?" James asked impulsively. He had been doing that a lot lately.

Lily shrugged and looked away. "What, are you afraid of that too?" asked James without thinking.

Her head jerked up and she growled. "Fine, I'll play your stupid 'game'. When and where?"

James grinned. "Now, boy's living room."

"Lead the way," she said huffily. He led her out of the corridor and down the stairs a flight. They walked through a short hallway and entered a large room that was connected to two other rooms. In the large room was a random array of furniture and a stack of half-opened in almost every bare inch of the floor. Remus was sitting on one chair while Sirius was stretched out lazily on a white couch.

The boys looked over at him while he crossed the threshold, then behind him as Evans came in after. "Ah ha! I win!" smirked Sirius as they entered.

Remus tossed Padfoot a single gold Galleon and sighed. At James's inquiring eyebrow, Sirius explained, "You see Jamesie, Moony here was ranting on how you'd come down here with some disfigurement or at least one facial bruising. _I_ said that my buddy could handle himself. And, obviously, I was right!"

He heard Lily groan behind them and laughed. "C'mon guys. We're playing a of Truth."

Sorry it was such a short chapter. This story won't be updated often because, as those of you who have read my other stories know, I have many, many stories I am working on. I have nine I am working on, including the many I have on fanfiction.


	5. Truth

I am so sorry for not updating! I had this in my head, but I totally forgot to post! PLEASE REVIEW! This chapter is dedicated to Samhita!

Last Time_:He heard Lily groan behind them and laughed. "C'mon guys. We're playing a of Truth." _

"Awesome!" exclaimed Sirius, rolling off the couch.

"Let's set the spell. All together now," said Remus, also jumping to his feet. At Lily's confused look, Remus asked, "Have you played before?"

Lily's tell-tale face reddened and she shook her head. "Okay, well, you have to point your wand in the middle and say 'Let the Truth be told,'. Got it?" the werewolf asked kindly.

Lily nodded and added her wand to the three already facing inward. "Let the Truth be told!" called the quartet of unanimous voices.

The air in the room seemed to thicken and large crystal ball was magically suspended over each person's head.

Remus, who seemed to have dubbed himself the official rule explainer, said, "You may ask anyone any question you like. They have to tell the absolute and full truth. I'll go first. Lily," he said, turning to her, "what is your favorite animal?"

"I must say white wolves. They are so mysterious. Sirius,(a/n** hey that rhymes! Mysterious Sirius).** What is _your_ favorite animal?"

"Wow, that's hard. I must go with what all the girls call me; a dog," said Padfoot with a goofy grin plastered on his face. "What about you, Prongsie?"

James rolled his eyes at the Marauders' falsely interested looks. "I have to say the handsome, noble, majestic, super, spectacular, amazing, unique, strong, handsome, wonderful stag!"

Moony raised his eyebrows. "You said 'handsome' twice."

"Well maybe because they are double handsome," James defended. "What's your favorite animal, Remsie old boy?"

"An eagle," he stated. "Lily, what's your favorite color?"

"Green. James, how many O's did you get?"

"7." The crystal above James's head began flashing bright red, pouring out smoke and let out a loud siren. Over the noise, James yelled, "1! What about you Lily?"

The sirens stopped abruptly. "4," she answered calmly.

The went on like that for nearly an hour, each question getting more and more personal. Finally, Remus rose from the ground, which they had all sat on eventually.

"Now, for the final round," he said.

"Dun, dun, dun," interjected Padfoot.

"Right. You may ask anyone any question, no matter how personal and they have to give you the complete detailed answer. Ready?" asked Remus.

Everyone nodded. "I'll go first," Remus said.

"James, how long do you think Lily and you would last as a couple?" James looked at him, startled. When Remus winked, James knew it was part of a plan.

"I can see us married. We're gonna have four kids named Harry, Remus., James Jr., and Sirius," he said dreamily. It was true. He had had numerous daydreams that consisted of proposals, marriage, honeymoons and lots of kids.

Lily snorted while Sirius began chuckling, then laughing, and then guffawing. Remus just looked at Lily, in her eyes. He seemed to see something James missed entirely. Remus spoke up, "Lily, why don't you go next?"

Lily took a deep breath and looked as though she was debating with herself. Finally she blurted out, "Remus, how old were you when the werewolf bit you?"

The Marauders froze. Words began pouring unbidden from Remus's mouth. "I was eight. I had been walking in the woods in our backyard when I heard a growl. The next thing I knew it was scratching and biting me. If my father had not come out and threatened it with a gun, I would have been eaten. It was horrible," he finished.

Once the spell had worn off, Remus stared at Lily with something akin to horror on his face. A silent conversation seemed to go on between them, but obviously Sirius didn't realize Remus was slowly regaining color and confidence. As Remus opened his mouth to say something, Sirius asked his question.

Voice cold and revengeful, Sirius said, "What exactly did that Muggle dad of yours do to make you run off?"

**Cliffhanger! Hahaha! Hehehe. You'll just have to wait and see!**


	6. The Answer

Alright, thanks for the reviews! Only a few more chapters in this fic!

Last Time: _Voice cold and revengeful, Sirius said, "What exactly did that Muggle dad of yours do to make you run off?"_

This was it. The one question Lily didn't want to answer. She would have rather he asked whether she loved James! As much as she tried to halt them, words sprang from her mouth.

"My father was evil. He beat us. After my mum died in first year, he went crazy. In the first month I was home he killed two police officers right in front of me. He buried them in the backyard. Then he came after me, Petunia and Rose.

"It was dark, and we couldn't see much. We had run away into the woods, but there was little moon. I heard footsteps behind us. There was a scuffle and a scream. I found out later that was when Rose died. He came at me and Pet with a switchblade knife.

"I tried to stop him, but he kept coming. I pushed Pet away and told her to run. My father slashed my shoulder." Lily rubbed her arm, the memory of the pain enough to make tears gather in her emerald eyes.

"I pulled out my wand and stunned him. Me and Pet ran to an inn to stay the night. That's when I began plotting." At last. The spell let her stop there. That's all her father did to make her leave.

Then, Potter interrupted. "Plotting what?" Obviously he didn't realize that would count as a Truth question.

"I first called the police and told them what had happened to R-Rose and the other police officers. Before they went to his house I did. I destroyed the one thing he loved; his car. I set that damn red Porshe on fire and let it explode the house.

"When the cops got there, my father was crying with his house burned to the ground. I watched the cops take him away. It was the best moment of my life, watching him get what he deserved." Her voice was colder than steel in winter.

Lily felt tears coursing down her face and looked up at the stunned Marauders. "I'm leaving."

She raced up to her room, wretching sobs echoing through the house.

Wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

James shot a glare at Sirius. So did Remus. "What was that for!" exclaimed the werewolf. Fury made him seem more like the beast he became every full moon.

Sirius looked shocked. "I didn't think…"

"No, you didn't," Remus said coldly. "What? Did you think Lily lives with her Headmaster because her life was a bed of roses at home? Did you think that she loved her old life?"

Sirius just shook his head. James spoke his thoughts. "My poor Lily," he murmured.

Remus turned on him. "Didn't you catch from her little narrative that she doesn't like to be controlled by anyone?" He turned back to Sirius. "Why did you do that?"

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "Well, I don't her question for you was very thoughtful either."

Remus sighed. "I already knew she knew. Well, at least I had guessed it. Sometimes when we'd talk, she would say things like 'I accept you for who you are.' I think she knew before you guys. That was just her way of letting me know for certain."

Sirius looked dumbstruck. "You didn't mind that she asked you?"

Remus groaned. "No, I didn't. Is that why you did that? To embarrass her like you thought she did me? Well here's an idea. Quit thinking."

James watched the argument like a tennis match. Sirius was looked like a kicked puppy and Remus was furious. He had never heard Remus this angry. Normally it was Sirius with the temper. Remus was normally the calm and collected one.

"I think we should let her come down when she's ready," James said quietly.

The two arguers looked over at him in surprise, as though they had forgotten he was there. "You're right," said Remus with a sigh. "Let's go downstairs. I think I just heard your parents Apparate in."

**Sorry it was short, but I didn't want my reviewers to murder me b/c of the cliffie.**


	7. Confrontations

**I am very very very very very very very very very very very very very ver y very very sorry for not updating in so long. Only one more chapter after this! Review! I love all those gorgeous people who reviewed earlier!**

Over the next week, Lily kept herself as far away from the Marauders as humanly possible. She came downstairs for meals but excused herself before dessert, much to the disconcertion of Mrs. Potter.

Lily went downstairs for breakfast early so as not to encounter any boys, for no boy she had heard of could make themselves awaken at 5.

The house-elves, who had gotten used to her early meals, had already prepared her a ham and cheese omelet and orange juice. Lily thanked them profusely and had finally memorized their names so she could do so properly.

She snuck back upstairs and went over the languages she knew in simple sentences she could translate. Of the thirty languages she knew, she was only completely fluent in two creatures home dialects: English humans and goblins. However, she still could ask merpeople where their underwater restroom was.

She whispered each translation to herself so she wouldn't accidentally wake Mr. and Mrs. Potter, who came home late and went to work early. Out of anyone Lily knew, they needed their sleep the most.

By noon Lily had gone through every language she could think of and had begun re-writing her essay in as many different languages as she could use, just to pass the time away.

Then, when she was half-way through her essay, a knock sounded on the door. She paused, quill still held poised over the parchment and called, "Who is it?"

A weary voice came through the door. "It's Remus. Can we talk?"

Lily, rightfully suspicious, yelled, "Are you alone?"

"Yes." The certain yet tired answer persuaded Lily, so she stowed her essay into the desk drawer and put away her quill and ink.

She opened the door to find all three present Marauders standing there. Lily attempted to close the door but Remus held it open with a strength Lily didn't know he had. "You said we could talk," he said, meeting her eyes with his calm blue ones.

She sighed quietly and stepped away from the door. The boys piled in and jumped on her bed. Lily, instead, commenced pacing the room.

After watching her frantic movement for a while, James finally asked, "Why have you been avoiding us?"

Lily scoffed and said, instinctively arguing, "I wasn't avoiding you."

Sirius raised a slender eyebrow, "Then what do you call a) finishing dinner before dessert b) locking yourself in your room and not answering us when we knock and c) avoiding all conversations and/or eye contact with us?"

Lily scowled. "I call it a) I was hungry b) I hate you and c) you're ugly."

Sirius gasped as though she had just said Snape was hot. "Me? Ugly? Lily, you must be mistaken. I can assure you that all the girls in Hogwarts agree that I look rather dreamy."

"Not me," Lily objected half-heartedly, holding back laughter.

Before Lily could wound Sirius's pride more, or Sirius could make another appallingly egotistical comment, Remus asked quietly, " Is it because of what you told us?"

Lily, instead of answering Remus, turned to James, "Do you remember when in third year you called me perfect? Well, now you know I'm not. I put my own father in jail and tried to ruin his life!" She plopped down on the bed in frustration. "I didn't want anyone to know; I liked having people respect me. What would the people at Hogwarts say if they found out? I would be known as 'that evil girl who tried to kill her own dad.' I'm not perfect and I'm sorry I ever led you to believe I was."

James shook his head sharply as though trying to dislodge a Bludger stuck in his ear. "Lily," he said, turning to face her on the bed, "you are perfect to me. I love you. I love your perfect hair, perfect temper, perfect way you scream my name in fury. I love the perfect way you're perfect to me."

Lily sighed, "Really?" she asked cautiously. "Are you sure this isn't just a way to get me to keep our date bargain?"

James chuckled softly, "Maybe. But I really do feel that way."

Lily rose again. "Why do I have to be so different? Why can't I really be perfect, like Remus?"

Remus rose and stood next to her. "Lily: I'm a _werewolf._ I have been shunned from society since I was young. How could you think that my life is perfect?"

Lily sat down with a thump. "Oh Remus, I am so sorry. I didn't mean-"

"I know. I'm just trying to get you to understand no one is perfect." The calming tone in Remus's voice had the desired effect on Lily.

She nodded and put her head in her hands. "I'm sorry. I've been acting really spoiled these days."

James laughed from beside her. "It's okay, Flower. Now… about that date-"

Lily sat up, pulled out her wand and created a whirlwind that swept the boys out of the room. "Give me a letter of the time and place," she called to James as he flew away. Her laughter echoed through the house for the first time in a week.

**Please review! Even if it is just to tell me that you hate me and what I did by not updating in ever! Next chapter is THE DATE! Are you excited? Tell me in a review! PLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEE! Reviews make me happier than candy!**


	8. The Date

**This is the last chapter. Please enjoy. Sorry about the wait. Sadly, my mother will not let me send attachments, so I was unable to send this to my beta, cararox, so forgive any mistakes. **

Lily glanced at her reflection once more, making sure everything was in order. She didn't understand why she was so nervous about the date; she hated James, she told herself. But she knew that wasn't true. He had turned from an arrogant, bullying, idiotic, egotistical jerk to a kind, sweet, funny, dreamy gentleman. She felt like she lov- No. She couldn't fall in love. She couldn't be. Love caused her father to go insane.

Lily wore a set of sparkling green emerald dress robes that accented her eyes. She had left her hair down for once, allowing the long tendrils to incase her shoulders in a comforting way.

Lily had applied a bit of natural eye shadow to accent her best feature. A knock came on her door. She rose and opened the door cautiously and found a very handsome looking James standing in wait. His ebony dress-robes matched his hair, which was as unruly as ever. When he caught sight of her, his mouth dropped open in shock. "Lily… you look… amazing," he said honestly, amazement in his eyes. Then he stuttered, "Not that you don't always look amazing, but this is just… wow."

Lily blushed (something very rare for her) and asked, "Are you ready?"

"What? Oh, yeah," he said, shaking head to clear it. He led her out into the hallway before saying, "Oh yeah, I got you something."

From the inside of his robe pocket he pulled out something that made Lily gasp in delight. It was the golden lily she had seen in the gardens. "Oh, James! This is so beautiful."

"All Lilys are," he said. Lily blushed at the implied compliment.

Once they were out of the gates, Lily and James Apparated together, headed for the place James had chosen for their date.

A small café sat in front of them. A magically lit sign read 'Clarkson Café'. The restaurant looked beautiful, with fairy lights glistening on all the bushes and rare Unicorn flowers blossomed. Unicorn flowers could only be found on ground that had never been used for anything un-pure. Their completely white petals and gold stems were highly prized around the wizarding world and worth their weight in gold.

James, looking slightly nervous, led her inside. "Do you have a reservation?" asked a young witch at the desk, straitening her uniform gray robes importantly.

James nodded. "It should be under Potter," he said.

The woman glanced down the list, ran her finger down the parchment and nodded. "Alright, please follow me."

Each table had a candle over it that flashed different colored light at random intervals. Lily and James were seated at a two chaired table, far away from any of the other tables. They were handed their menus and each ordered their drinks.

"Just water," Lily said politely, looking up from her menu.

"Same," said James, watching Lily fondly. Lily looked over the menu and, unsure of what she wanted, asked James, "What are you getting?"

James smiled, "The twin lobster tails with new potatoes and asparagus. You?"

Lily shrugged. "I'll get what you get. I'm not used to such fine restaurants," she admitted uncomfortably.

"Nothing but the best for my Lily-kins," he said.

Lily scowled with difficulty, having trouble concealing her delighted smile. "Don't call me Lily-kins!"

James shrugged then said, "What are we going to tell the school? Should they go ahead and take out their cameras? I can see it on the Daily Prophet. The Beautiful Lily Evans Finally Accepts James Potter's Plea for a Date. The world will be stunned."

Lilt chuckled softly. "It's more likely to be in the Quibbler."

"It's not that amazing!" argued James good-naturedly.

James laughed along. The waitress came back with two steaming plates. Lily picked up a fork and took a bite. "Mmmm…" she moaned, lost in the bliss her tastebuds were in.

"That good?" asked James with a laugh.

Lily stuck out her tongue and said, "Do you come here often?"

"About once a month."

Lily rolled her eyes, "You are so spoiled."

"Now that I have you, I think I have everything I could ever need," James said, hazel eyes glowing with honesty and love.

They talked throughout dinner, Lily barely even noticing that she was eating. It was nice to be able to talk with James without Remus or Sirius interrupting. They had finished dinner and James asked the question Lily had been dying to hear. "Do you want dessert?"

"Yes! I mean… sure. Let's split one 'cause I don't think I could eat a whole one." The light over their table turned dark purple as James called the waitress over. "One hot fudge sundae, please."

The waitress nodded smartly and hurried off to give the house-elves the order. Almost at once the waitress was coming back, tall ice cream in hand. She set in the middle of the table and gave them each a spoon. "Enjoy," she said automatically before hurrying to another table.

"Cheers," James said before digging in.

"Leave some for me!" Lily objected as the sundae began disappearing before her eyes. He chuckled and slowed his eating down slightly so she could catch up.

Once they had paid the bill, James walked Lily back out of the restaurant. "Lily, you have some fudge on your cheek."

James bent down and wiped it off. His face was so close Lily could do nothing but look into his warm hazel eyes. An expression came over them that Lily couldn't quite place before she suddenly felt his lips on hers.

It was bliss, far more wonderful than she had ever imagined. Lily found herself kissing him back instinctively, running her hands through his hair. He slowly broke away and met her eyes. "So I can't mess with my hair, but you can?" His voice was husky and his eyes dark.

"Precisely," Lily said before kissing him again.

He broke away gasping. "Are we official now? Are you my girlfriend?"

Lily froze, thinking of the vow of never falling in love she had made. 'Screw my promise,' Lily thought happily. Lily nodded to James's often asked question and he picked her up and spun her around before catching her in yet another wonderful kiss.

An exert from James's journal-

_Well, I finally got her. Lily is mine. I can't believe it! Here is a note to myself so I can always remember this day:_

_Seeds for a golden lily: 4 knuts_

_A hot fudge sundae: 2 galleons_

_Finally getting the girl of my dreams: priceless._

**And the rest, you know, is history. I know the end was really sudden and really cheesy, but I thought it was romantic. (I like clichés!) I hope you enjoyed this fic! (I know I did). Please review!**


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